Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Victor's Flame
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With over ten boss monsters locked in a chaotic brawl, the regular monsters caught between them didn't stand a chance.
The regular monsters fell quickly, and at last, the true clash between the boss monsters began.
“I’m hungry…”
Min Ha-na swallowed hard. It wasn't that she was truly hungry; the flame was relentlessly tempting her.
A constant provocation.
The blue flame would not leave Wang-sik and Min Ha-na—the only ones in the area resisting its taunt—alone.
“It’s no use struggling.”
Wang-sik thickened his Holy Shield in response to the provocation's intensity. Instantly, the avaricious glint in Min Ha-na's eyes vanished.
“Whew, that’s embarrassing.”
The memory of being taunted remained. Min Ha-na, noticing the drool at the corner of her mouth, looked at Wang-sik.
“Boss, isn't there a more reliable way?”
“There is. You just need to get hit.”
A simple method, but undeniably effective.
“Alright. Do it.”
“What?”
Wang-sik was taken aback. He was also a bit dumbfounded to see Min Ha-na stand up confidently and present the back of her head.
“It's because I'm so embarrassed. Give me a good smack to snap me out of it.”
Wang-sik reluctantly raised his hand.
Tap!
He didn't hit her. He simply placed his hand firmly on top of her head.
“This should hold for a while.”
A warm, solid energy enveloped Min Ha-na. The foreign feeling that had been plaguing her mind completely vanished.
“There was a way like this…”
Turning her head, Min Ha-na saw Wang-sik frowning.
Wang-sik had forgone his own defense to focus the protective barrier entirely on Min Ha-na.
“You don't have to look so sorry. We just need to show them what we've got in one go.”
“Leave it to me. I'll give them a proper show.”
Without any barrier, Wang-sik endured the flame's taunt with his body alone.
His heart rate quickened and his body grew hot, but that was all.
‘If I fall for a taunt, I'm no tanker.’
Mental fortitude alone is enough.
After all, enduring and persevering was what he had done most for the past ten years.
“We might be able to get it easily.”
As the only ones free from the taunt, they simply watched the other monsters fight. The surrounding monsters melted away, and even the Munk Elder, who had fought to the very end, finally fell.
The annihilation of the Munk tribe.
It was the moment the absolute ruler of the region vanished.
As if by agreement, the ten remaining monsters charged toward the flame on the altar.
Krrrrrumble!
The altar collapsed from the powerful impact, but the flame remained motionless in its original spot.
Instead, it flickered enticingly, further drawing out their battle instincts.
—Prove your strength if you wish to possess me.
It was an arrogant display, as if it were an examiner.
“Arrogant bastard. For a mere item.”
Min Ha-na couldn't hold back and shouted. At the sight, Wang-sik rose from his hiding spot.
“The battle will be decided soon.”
“We have to go in before that.”
Min Ha-na answered before Wang-sik could explain further.
They had to intervene before one of them claimed the flame. Through her long experience in battle, Min Ha-na had also developed an eye for timing.
Fwoosh!
“I'm ready.”
“Let's deal with the Rainbow Anaconda first.”
Wang-sik pointed at the colossal snake swallowing the King Puma and leaped into the battlefield.
‘Seven of them left.’
Two of them were on the verge of collapsing from a combined attack.
Wang-sik drove his chain into the tail of the Rainbow Anaconda, which was rapidly swallowing the King Puma.
The anaconda opened its massive maw and irritably whipped its head around. Its sheer size, equivalent to a three-story apartment building, completely blocked his view.
Boom!
He dodged the first attack by rolling his body, but a deafening blast erupted from the anaconda's clenched jaws.
It was a shockwave generated by the power of its jaws.
The anaconda didn't stop there, attempting to coil its massive body around Wang-sik to crush him.
Wang-sik leaped up, stepped on the approaching anaconda's body, and jumped outward.
‘Damn, it's huge.’
But its size wasn't the only problem.
The anaconda opened its mouth again and attacked Wang-sik.
‘An opportunity.’
Wang-sik didn't dodge, instead raising his shield. The creature's open mouth was directly facing Min Ha-na. If she shot a blast of fire into its mouth now, even the anaconda wouldn't be able to withstand it.
However, not everything went according to Wang-sik's plan.
Swoosh!
A harsh sound of something cutting through the air was heard.
From behind.
The Dark Giant's fist was heading for Wang-sik.
‘Tch.’
Wang-sik quickly moved out of the way.
Gak!
A strange sound was heard.
The Dark Giant's fist had gone straight into the anaconda's mouth.
‘Let's just leave them be.’
The two were now fighting each other.
In the meantime, two more boss monsters had fallen, leaving only five. The Dark Giant and the anaconda began a power struggle, while the remaining three were locked in a tangled, close-quarters battle.
‘Is that one the strongest?’
There was one monster that wasn't being pushed back at all, even against a two-pronged attack.
The Blade Tree.
A massive, living tree.
Its dozens of branches were made of blades, and a moment of carelessness would result in being hacked to pieces. It stood ten meters tall, was covered in hard bark, and if stepped on by one of its five root-like feet, one would experience being crushed by its immense weight.
Its ferocious combat power surpassed that of a golem, enough to make even the Devil Ant retreat.
Screech!
Eventually, the Blade Tree's blade pierced through the Devil Ant's carapace.
The price for showing fear on a fierce battlefield.
‘There.’
The moment the attack landed, a massive fireball engulfed the Blade Tree.
‘Perfect.’
Min Ha-na knew exactly what Wang-sik wanted. Stopping her attack aimed at the anaconda and targeting the Blade Tree instead was perfectly in sync with Wang-sik's thoughts.
It was a sign that their teamwork had reached its peak.
Sensing the intense heat, the Blade Tree tried to gather its bladed branches into one spot to form a shield.
“Oh no you don't.”
Clang!
Wang-sik's chain bound a dozen of the branches together.
Thanks to that brief interference, the fireball broke through the gap in the blade shield.
Kaboom!
Min Ha-na's first attack landed.
As the long-gathered power exploded, flames erupted from the Blade Tree's body.
Slice! Slice!
The Blade Tree's blades began to slice off its own burning bark. It screamed each time, but it was a necessary choice for survival.
But there was another monster in front of the Blade Tree.
The giant mantis that had been pushed back began to cut off the Blade Tree's branches one by one.
Min Ha-na, who was about to attack, saw this and decided to gather more power.
Wang-sik also saw this and momentarily withdrew from the fight.
Eventually, the mantis's attacks slowed the Blade Tree's movements, and it began to collapse in the flames.
‘Now!’
Wang-sik wrapped his chain around the thin neck of the mantis that had just won its battle. In response, the mantis's two forelegs struck at his head.
Clang!
The moment Wang-sik raised his shield to block it, an explosion occurred on the mantis's head.
Perfect timing.
The mantis collapsed.
Two monsters remained.
But over there, the battle had also been decided.
Rrrrip!
The Dark Giant tore the anaconda's mouth apart and roared.
“Am I invisible to you?”
The Dark Giant lowered its gaze to look at Wang-sik.
In its eyes, a mere human would not be a significant problem. With that arrogance, its fist slammed toward the ground.
KABOOM!
Wang-sik lightly dodged the first attack and wrapped his chain around the fallen fist.
‘Enfeeble.’
The skill activated through the chain, but its effect wasn't strongly felt. Wang-sik didn't give up and ran toward the Dark Giant.
It was to get within skill range.
‘Suppression.’
A skill he'd gained upon reaching B-Class.
With the two debuffs stacked, he could finally feel the Dark Giant's strength draining. As if sensing something ominous, the Dark Giant raised its arm to shake off the chain.
Ch-ch-chain!
But the chain only stretched; Wang-sik stood his ground.
“This is why I love fishing.”
Wang-sik adjusted the length of the chain, baiting the giant into thrashing around even more wildly.
Then, in an instant, a brilliant light erupted from his body.
Holy Light.
A light that undead monsters hated.
The special skill of the Peradora armor.
The moment the Dark Giant flinched, five arching fireballs came flying.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Each fireball that struck the giant's torso was powerful, but it wasn't enough to bring it down.
“We need to find its heart.”
It's a golem, but an undead type.
Monsters like this must have their weak points targeted. Min Ha-na, knowing this, quickly closed in.
About twenty fireballs materialized above her head.
Unholy Strike.
KA-BOOM!
Wang-sik triggered another explosion.
It was a fatal attack for most undead, but not enough to work on the Dark Giant. However, it definitely drew its attention. In that opening, Min Ha-na began to bombard the giant's body, which was shrouded in a black haze.
‘Pulse of Hatred.’
As the real fight began, Wang-sik sent the Pulse of Hatred into the sky.
Instantly, the Dark Giant became enraged and violently attacked Wang-sik.
Boom-boom-boom!
Min Ha-na's bombardment continued unabated, and when the number of exploding fireballs reached fifty, the giant's body finally faltered.
‘Found it.’
Min Ha-na fixed her gaze on its left flank.
The heart that animated the giant was there.
From then on, it was a focused assault. The giant, beginning to feel pain, turned its gaze toward her, but Min Ha-na paid no mind to defense.
Wang-sik would definitely hold it for her.
Teamwork isn't just about gauging your own abilities.
‘Mr. Wang-sik isn't the kind of person who can't block an attack like this.’
BOOM! BOOM!
The fireballs leaving her hands erupted with a different kind of explosive force than before. As the roaring continued, the giant's movements slowed, and Min Ha-na changed her attack pattern.
The black haze had dissipated, revealing a black stone.
The black stone had fine cracks, accurately showing the intensity of the impacts.
Having locked onto her target, Min Ha-na focused the power of a Fire Burst on that spot.
A red dot intensified, then caused an explosion in the giant's heart.
The first explosion made its body shake, and the second brought the giant's movements to a halt.
And the third explosion.
Krrrrrumble!
The Dark Giant's body collapsed.
“One shot left.”
Even though her opponent had fallen, Min Ha-na didn't stop.
‘The heart isn't broken yet.’
Min Ha-na poured all her power into the cracked heartstone.
Shatter!
Finally, the heart shattered, and the black haze surrounding the Dark Giant vanished.
“Whew.”
The desperate slugfest was over.
Wang-sik checked the fallen monsters once more, while Min Ha-na looked to the sky.
Fwoooosh!
The flame floated there, as stable as if nothing had happened.
“Come here.”
As Min Ha-na reached out her hand, the flame responded.
The arrogantly floating flame slowly lowered its altitude and approached her.
As she gently caressed it, as if meeting a cute puppy for the first time, the flame slowly seeped into her body. Having completely absorbed the flame, she closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
The moment hot steam escaped her lips, a blue flame erupted all over her body.
Wang-sik was about to rush toward her, but stopped when he saw Min Ha-na's comfortable expression within the flames.
‘She's accepted it.’
Wang-sik didn't interfere.
After a short while, the flame gradually gathered into her right hand.
An immense pillar of fire shot straight up from her hand, reaching for the sky. Then, the long plume of fire subsided and began to etch a pattern, like a tattoo, onto the back of her hand.
It was the emblem of a brilliantly flickering flame.
“Hoo.”
The flame remained on the back of her hand as a tattoo.
Min Ha-na looked at the back of her hand and smiled with satisfaction.